On the NBA.

Chandler, Curry better, still baffling

December 15, 2004|By Sam Smith.

Uh, oh. It looks like the Bulls have another problem as they prepare to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

What if Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler can play?

It sure didn't look like it in the last three minutes of Monday's disappointing 94-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks when the duo combined for three turnovers and three missed shots. Curry also forgot the score and committed a bad foul and Chandler forgot to throw the ball outside on an offensive rebound or call a timeout.

Then Chandler failed to box out on a missed free throw that enabled the Mavs to get the ball back for the game-winning shot by Michael Finley.

Yes, but other than that . . .

"If we don't play them at the end of the game, the first question is why didn't we," general manager John Paxson said after the Bulls' practice Tuesday. "We've invested a lot in these guys and we should know if they can complete games. [Monday] night we saw things--Eddy not knowing the score, which should never happen again, Chandler not blocking out on that last free throw, so it doesn't come down to a missed [out-of-bounds] call. But, quite honestly, they have gotten much better."

I hate to agree, but it's true.

They are playing better.

In the last four games, Curry is playing like he did at the end of the 2002-03 season when he led the league in field-goal percentage. He's shooting 61 percent and averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Monday was his second 20-point game in the last four as he hit 9 of 12 shots. If you saw Curry and $65 million center Erick Dampier on Monday, you would have said Curry was the better player.

In that same four-game stretch, Chandler is averaging 12.3 points, mostly on putbacks, and 10.3 rebounds. But, more importantly, Chandler is defending against the best players, and well. He gave Kevin Garnett trouble in Saturday's victory over the Timberwolves and, though league-leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki had a half-dozen shots rim out Monday, Chandler made him work hard. Nowitzki shot 4 of 18.

"Chandler, the last few games, has gone against really good players and has done a terrific job," Paxson said. "Curry's help defense has improved. Eddy has played well early in games. We'd like to see him play that way in the last four minutes when . . . there's more pressure defensively, when they're doubling right away, when the game is on the line."

When it has been, the Bulls often have taken one or both out of the game because of just what occurred Monday--brain lock and fear. Curry doesn't think the game, so he doesn't know the score or situation. Chandler does, but fears catching the ball because he then might have to shoot it. He's like Dennis Rodman, who used to run behind players at the end of games to avoid passes and embarrassment.

Both Curry and Chandler declined to speak to the media Tuesday, which is not unusual when they play poorly or seem singled out for blame after losses. Perhaps they watched the TV replay and heard the announcers screaming with disbelief at their miscues?

There's no doubt the Bulls still are looking to trade one or both. Both sides, really, don't care much for one another and wouldn't seem to mind to be away from the other.

But Curry and Chandler are becoming productive players. You can see them developing.

The problem is Curry has huge talent and doesn't seem to care that much. Chandler cares deeply, but has miserable basketball skills. Put together, they would be better than Shaquille O'Neal. Traded away, the Bulls better get something worthwhile.

These are the last of the pieces, and the future of the franchise probably rests on this decision.

The Bulls still could keep both and hope the learning becomes less incremental. Perhaps Chandler, a hustling rebounder, is easier to replace. There are plenty of role players like that. But can you ever get Curry's attention enough to make him play hard? It doesn't appear he ever has, even back when he lost the Illinois high school title to Schaumburg.

How's this example? Curry took a wide-open baseline 20-footer with 23 seconds left that Chandler grabbed. He didn't know what to do with it and the play eventually ended with Curry's blackout foul of Finley. Curry's shooting extension wouldn't have been long enough to shake a hand. One can't shoot and, at least at the end of games, the other doesn't seem to want to.

"I told the guys this morning I am frustrated, and we're frustrated as a staff," coach Scott Skiles said. "We feel we have a right to be, but we can't ignore we've made progress."

And then there's that 4-15 record.

Neither Skiles nor Paxson is very patient. Paxson was racing to confront the referees after Monday's game because of what he believed was another night of inequity against a young team. Skiles was eating a chair. (Not really, but we like to maintain that image.)

The issue facing the Bulls, and it still hasn't been resolved and doesn't seem close to resolution, is what to do with these two guys. What is enough to get in return for them? How much longer can they put up with them? Can they make it work? Do they even want to? When they know that, we can start paying attention again.